School Life
Club activities, students cleaning the school, school lunch, uniforms and exams.
80 entriesTap a title to open the full entry: three lengths of English explanation, the questions people actually ask, ready-made phrases and audio.
Essential（16）
- Martial ArtsEssential rajio taisoラジオ体操the national radio exercise routine
- ConceptsEssential ganbatteがんばってthe encouragement that is not quite good luck
- ConceptsEssential kanji hiragana katakana漢字・ひらがな・カタカナwhy Japanese is written with three writing systems at once
- ConceptsEssential josushi助数詞the counters Japanese puts after a number
- ConceptsEssential senpai and kohai先輩・後輩seniors and juniors
- Food & DrinkEssential bento弁当a packed meal in a box
- School LifeEssential randoseruランドセルthe boxy, rigid backpack most primary school children carry
- School LifeEssential natsuyasumi no shukudai夏休みの宿題the summer holiday homework, including the free research project
- School LifeEssential maru to batsu丸とバツthe circle for "right" and the X for "wrong" used in Japan
- School LifeEssential kyushoku給食school lunch
- School LifeEssential kyushoku toban給食当番the student duty that serves lunch to the whole class
- School LifeEssential kosoku校則school rules and how strict they are
- School LifeEssential seifuku制服the school uniform
- School LifeEssential soji掃除students cleaning their own school
- School LifeEssential tokohan登校班children walking to school in groups
- School LifeEssential bukatsu部活school club activities
Standard（54）
- Martial ArtsStandard kentaikai to zenkoku taikai県大会と全国大会the ladder of local, prefectural, and national school tournaments
- Martial ArtsStandard koko yakyu to Koshien高校野球と甲子園the national high school baseball tournament
- Martial ArtsStandard chugakko no budo hisshuka中学校の武道必修化the compulsory martial arts unit in Japanese junior high gym class
- ClothingStandard gakuseifuku学生服the classic Japanese school uniform: the stand-collar jacket and the sailor blouse
- ClothingStandard sotsugyoshiki no hakama卒業式の袴the skirt-trousers worn at graduation
- Annual EventsStandard koromogae衣替えthe seasonal switch between summer and winter clothing
- FolkloreStandard kokkuri-sanこっくりさんa coin-and-paper fortune-telling game often compared to a Japanese Ouija board
- HistoryStandard sorobanそろばんthe Japanese abacus
- HistoryStandard terakoya寺子屋the neighborhood schools of the Edo period
- Modern JapanStandard hinan kunren避難訓練the evacuation drills everyone has done
- Pop CultureStandard Koshien no oen甲子園の応援the organized brass-band and stand cheering that fills the stadium during the national high school baseball tournament
- Pop CultureStandard mukashi no asobi昔の遊びthe pre-electronic children's games still taught in schools
- School LifeStandard pi ti ePTAthe parents and teachers association at a Japanese school
- School LifeStandard undokai運動会school sports day
- School LifeStandard ensoku遠足a school day trip, usually with a packed lunch from home
- School LifeStandard katei homon家庭訪問a homeroom teacher's visit to each student's home
- School LifeStandard gakkyukai学級会the class meeting where pupils decide things themselves
- School LifeStandard tannin学級担任the homeroom teacher who teaches everything
- School LifeStandard gakkyu heisa学級閉鎖closing one class when an illness spreads
- School LifeStandard gakudo hoiku学童保育after-school care for elementary school children
- School LifeStandard gakunen to kurasugae学年とクラス替えthe annual reshuffling of students into new classes
- School LifeStandard yosegaki寄せ書きa group message card that many people sign for one person
- School LifeStandard koka校歌the song almost every school has of its own
- School LifeStandard hensachi高校の偏差値the deviation score used to rank Japanese schools by difficulty
- School LifeStandard gassho konkuru合唱コンクールa school choir contest between classes
- School LifeStandard juken受験the entrance exam system
- School LifeStandard jugyo sankan授業参観a day when parents come to watch their child's class
- School LifeStandard shugaku ryoko修学旅行the school trip everyone goes on
- School LifeStandard juku塾the private school you go to after school
- School LifeStandard shusseki bango出席番号the roster number every student is assigned for the school year
- School LifeStandard uwabaki上履きthe indoor shoes worn at school
- School LifeStandard shintai sokutei身体測定the school health check and measurements
- School LifeStandard suiei no jugyo水泳の授業swimming as a compulsory school subject
- School LifeStandard seitokai生徒会the student council
- School LifeStandard sekigae席替えchanging where everyone sits in the classroom
- School LifeStandard akashirobo赤白帽a reversible red-and-white school cap for PE
- School LifeStandard sotsugyo arubamu卒業アルバムthe yearbook every class makes together before graduating
- School LifeStandard daini botan第二ボタンthe second button of a school uniform jacket, given away on graduation day
- School LifeStandard chugaku juken中学受験taking an entrance exam to enter a private or elite junior high school
- School LifeStandard asa no kai to kaeri no kai朝の会と帰りの会short class meetings at the start and end of the school day
- School LifeStandard asa dokusho朝読書a short silent reading time at the start of the school day
- School LifeStandard chorei朝礼the morning assembly at a school or workplace
- School LifeStandard naishinten内申点the school's internal assessment that counts toward high school entry
- School LifeStandard nibun no ichi seijinshiki二分の一成人式an elementary school event around age ten where children reflect on their first decade and thank their families
- School LifeStandard nihon no eigo kyoiku日本の英語教育why Japanese people study English for years and still cannot speak it
- School LifeStandard nyugakushiki to sotsugyoshiki入学式と卒業式the formal ceremonies that open and close a school year
- School LifeStandard bukatsu no intai部活の引退leaving your school club after the last tournament
- School LifeStandard bukatsu no gasshuku部活の合宿the multi-day training camp a school club holds, often in summer
- School LifeStandard bunkasai文化祭the school culture festival
- School LifeStandard bunbogu文房具stationery
- School LifeStandard hokenshitsu保健室the school nurse's room, which is also a refuge
- School LifeStandard bosai zukin防災頭巾a padded hood children keep at school to protect their heads in an earthquake
- School LifeStandard rinkan-gakko林間学校a short class trip to the mountains or coast built around group living and outdoor activities
- School LifeStandard renrakucho連絡帳a notebook passed between school and home every day
Advanced（10）
- HistoryAdvanced hanko藩校the schools each domain ran for its samurai
- HistoryAdvanced wasan和算the mathematics developed in Edo-period Japan
- Modern JapanAdvanced kyokasho kentei to rekishi ninshiki教科書検定と歴史認識how Japanese textbooks are approved, and why neighboring countries react
- Modern JapanAdvanced shogakukin奨学金the word that means scholarship but usually means student loan
- School LifeAdvanced shoka唱歌songs written for Japanese schools since the Meiji era
- School LifeAdvanced taiiku zuwari体育座りthe way Japanese students sit on the floor
- School LifeAdvanced tsuchihyo通知表the school report card
- School LifeAdvanced nitchoku日直the student on duty for the day
- School LifeAdvanced bukatsu no asaren部活の朝練training before school starts
- School LifeAdvanced hokago放課後after school, and why students stay